Indictment issued in stabbing death of woman, 80

An elderly Mount Vernon woman, stabbed more than 30 times in April, was killed with her own knife, the Knox County prosecutor said yesterday.

Tyrone A. Caldwell, 34, was indicted last week on seven counts, including aggravated murder, in the fatal stabbing of 80-year-old Marilyn Eversole inside her Hiawatha Senior Village apartment on

April 8, as well as the assault of Anita Spencer, Eversole’s home health-care aide. Details of the indictment were released yesterday.

Knox County Prosecutor John Thatcher said that Caldwell broke into Eversole’s apartment in the early morning. Eversole confronted him inside.

Eversole’s son, Steve Algren, said his mother often remained in a recliner in her front room. She was on oxygen, had a heart condition and wasn’t very mobile. Family and neighbors said Eversole rarely locked her door.

She also kept a knife by her chair. Thatcher said it appears that Eversole was killed with that knife.

Moments after the attack, Spencer, the home health-care aide, arrived to find her client on the floor. She turned to step back outside to make a call and was grabbed and pulled back into the apartment.

“She had no idea he was there,” Thatcher said. “He assaulted her. The assault continued into a bathroom. She was able to fight him off and close the door and brace her feet against the door.”& amp; amp; lt; /p>

The apartments are equipped with pull-cord alarms. Spencer pulled the cord, sounding alarms throughout the 73-unit complex.

Eversole’s neighbor Craig Dill heard a commotion at her apartment and stepped outside as Caldwell was leaving with Eversole’s television, Thatcher said.

Dill said Caldwell dropped the TV and ran to a vehicle, escaping as Dill chased him on foot.

Caldwell was arrested about three hours later and remains in the Knox County jail on $1 million bond.

He was indicted on felony counts of aggravated murder and aggravated burglary, as well as counts of attempted murder, kidnapping, felonious assault and aggravated robbery related to the attack on Spencer. He also was charged with tampering with evidence for trying to clean and/or conceal his bloody clothing after the crime.

Caldwell will appear before Knox County Common Pleas Judge Otho Eyster for arraignment on June 16.